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Telling tales, hearing stories, imagining difference : the role of imagination and the dramatic arts in educating students as agents of social change

How do conventional performance-based models of drama in high schools serve to oppress students? How can Applied Drama models serve to emancipate students? This thesis invites educators to imagine drama programs in high schools as being capable of employing the use of imaginative dramatic arts processes for their emancipatory potential aimed to break oppressive habits and to rehearse alternative dialogue and action in the lives of students. Drama processes in high schools could be designed within an emancipatory paradigm of curriculum-making. Instead of designing drama programs around the goal of producing scripted theatre performances, drama programs in high schools can be designed with the goal of engaging students imaginations. Specifically, Applied Drama processes have the potential to nurture students social and moral imaginations which, in turn, allow students to become more empathetic. Moreover, through dramatic role-play, students enter an imaginary world and rehearse alternative ways of acting in the world. If the dramatic role-play addresses issues of oppression in the world, then the imaginary world presents scenarios in which students can rehearse emancipatory ways of acting and thinking about their lived reality. Specifically, Applied Drama processes are best suited for emancipatory, imaginative drama programs in high schools. In this thesis, I also discuss the importance of reflection in emancipatory drama processes.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-04192007-150544
Date27 April 2007
CreatorsMarken, Kari Anna
ContributorsPushor, Debbie, Miller, Dianne M., Collins, Michael, Regnier, Robert
PublisherUniversity of Saskatchewan
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
Sourcehttp://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-04192007-150544/
Rightsunrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.

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